A few years ago, pastor Dhati Lewis said something at a church planter\u2019s conference that stopped me in my tracks: \u201cAuthenticity is the apologetic of our day.\u201d That phrase has stayed with me ever since.<\/p>\n
The longer I live and serve in ministry, the more that phrase rings true. The way to get people\u2019s attention today is to be honest about our own failures and not try to peddle perfection. The gospel is where Christ\u2019s grace meets our need.<\/p>\n
If we\u2019re always the hero of the story when we\u2019re preaching or if we\u2019re telling stories about other people, but it doesn\u2019t intersect with us, we\u2019re not displaying authenticity. And this doesn\u2019t only involve preaching; it involves where we lead our staff.<\/p>\n
Authenticity should be a defining mark of pastoral leadership. And practicing authenticity is caught, not taught. What are some specific things church leaders or pastors can model for their congregation that can be caught?<\/p>\n
What are some ways you can preach that capture the attention of those who don\u2019t yet know Christ? What are some ways you can engage in community with your congregation that can help them catch that authenticity?<\/p>\n
Before we talk about practical steps to creating a culture of authenticity in your church, let\u2019s make a few observations.<\/p>\n
We all know who we are in private. Outside of that, there\u2019s a forcefield around our lives that\u2019s what some of us might call the \u201csocial media me,\u201d the \u201cpulpit me,\u201d the \u201cseminary me,\u201d and so on. It\u2019s the public person we want people to believe we really are.<\/p>\n
Pastors often think success looks like running the perfect staff meeting or leading a church that grows exponentially. But sometimes success is going into that staff meeting and saying, \u201cHey, can I let you guys in some of the battles raging in my heart?\u201d<\/p>\n
Or, \u201cI got this criticism on Sunday after my sermon that\u2019s totally taken over my inner life, and I\u2019m dealing with that because it\u2019s a pride issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Effective preaching is when you\u2019re talking and people think,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m glad I\u2019m not the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n
People are drawn to an honest approach and not to the person trying to stand on the mountain top and tell them how to get up here. As long as we\u2019re all swimming through the mess of our lives together, there\u2019s a sense of community in that.<\/p>\n
People should have freedom to be authentic in their own circles of community. In small groups and Sunday School classes, it\u2019s infectious. It trickles down through the organization. If the leader is authentic, the organization tends to be authentic.<\/p>\n
If you want to change the culture in your church, start with yourself. Then, as you\u2019re working out your salvation through authenticity, your church can then be led by example to reach their neighbors, family members, friends, and coworkers.<\/p>\n
Here are five simple things you can do to communicate and practice authenticity in your leadership \u2014 whether you\u2019re preaching a sermon, leading a meeting, or having a one-on-one conversation.<\/p>\n
1. Give people your full attention during a conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n Avoid the temptation to look over someone\u2019s shoulder as they\u2019re speaking. As far as you\u2019re concerned, they\u2019re the most important thing for that moment.<\/p>\n People quickly pick up on it when your eyes are scanning the room to see if there\u2019s someone \u201cmore important\u201d you\u2019d rather be talking with. Don\u2019t \u201cshoulder surf.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Talk about people the same way privately as you would publicly<\/strong><\/p>\n The way you talk about people who are not in the room speaks volumes to the people who\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0in the room. It causes them to wonder,\u00a0“If I wasn\u2019t in the room, would I be talked about like this?\u201d<\/p>\n If absolutely necessary, there are ways to discuss someone\u2019s weaknesses in a godly way that treats them with dignity. If your conversations \u2014 especially about people \u2014 were recorded, would you be ashamed of what you say?<\/p>\n Anytime we\u2019re on the phone talking about somebody who\u2019s not in the room, it\u2019s important to be careful to protect their name and reputation.<\/p>\n I think the way pastors speak about people who aren\u2019t in the room speaks a lot about the character that will cause people to trust or not trust them \u2014 and the church at large.<\/p>\n 3. Preach in a way that\u2019s consistent with your personality.<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen pastors actually use a different voice when they speak than they do in conversation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost like they\u2019ve taken on an alter ego. They shout while delivering a sermon, but are soft-spoken in person.<\/p>\n In these situations, I think to myself:\u00a0\u201cI wonder why someone doesn\u2019t tell him that he does that?\u201d<\/p>\n This makes a person appear duplicitous. It\u2019s important to be self-aware: Be authentic to your God-wired personality both when you preach and interact with people.<\/p>\n Consider having a group of people in the church to help you perceive how you\u2019re coming across.<\/p>\n 4. Be forthright \u2014 yet gracious \u2014 on cultural issue stances<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to hot-button issues, there\u2019s always pressure for pastors to be able to address those things, or to have the courage to bring them up.<\/p>\n In fact, I\u2019ve seen research that suggests some people are leaving the church because they don\u2019t feel the leadership is willing to address real issues.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to address issues in a way that shows kindness to those who disagree. When we have a culture that has such intense rhetoric, it\u2019s more important than ever that we deal gently.<\/p>\n We may land in a different place on an issue from someone, but it doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t still have relationships with them.<\/p>\n This is no easy feat, especially in our politically charged climate. Yet, when we\u2019re addressing a hot-button issue, we must identify its gospel implications. What does Scripture say about it?<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to address those things, but it\u2019s also important to stay tethered to things in which the gospel unites us.<\/p>\n 5. Don\u2019t skip uncomfortable or difficult texts in your preaching<\/strong><\/p>\n Authenticity as a preacher means we teach the\u00a0whole<\/em>\u00a0counsel of God.<\/p>\n I think where some pastors get themselves in trouble is they lack enough self-awareness to realize they\u2019re preaching the same message in a different part of the Bible every week, rather than letting the text drive the conversation.<\/p>\n Authenticity acknowledges that you really wish you didn\u2019t have to preach on this because it\u2019s a tough subject. But then you read the text and say, \u201cBut we have to deal with it, because it\u2019s in the text.\u201d<\/p>\n In my experience, people appreciate when pastors don\u2019t dodge the issues and when we handle them with as much gentleness and care as we can \u2014 when we\u2019re not trying to make the Bible say something it doesn\u2019t say.<\/p>\n We\u2019re called to lead by example, so you can show your areas of weakness or areas where you weren\u2019t successful. But it\u2019s also important to demonstrate what it is to victoriously walk through weakness.<\/p>\n We can walk in authenticity over time with those we lead \u2014 both on our church staff and the people in our congregations. But through our preaching, we also can model authenticity to our communities that starve for truth and love.<\/p>\n This post originally appeared at <\/em>FactsandTrends<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few years ago, pastor Dhati Lewis said something at a church planter\u2019s conference that stopped …<\/p>\n